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Thera 1.13: Vanavaccha
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(13):Vanavaccha Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =13. Vanavaccha= In this Buddha-age he took rebirth at Kapilavatthu, in the brahmin(priest) clan of the Vaccha's. He was born in the forest, his mother being taken with travail while walking in the forest which she had yearned to see. He became one of the future Buddha's playmates in the sand. And because he loved the woods, he was known as Woodland-Vaccha.1 Later on, when he had entered the Monk’s order, it 18 was in the forest that he strove for and won arahantship(enlightenment). And it was in praise of the forest life that he uttered his saying(gatha), replying to the monks who asked him: 'What comfort can you get in the forest?' 'Delightful, my friends, are forest and mountain!'- ---- 13 Nīlabbhavaṇṇā rucirā sītavārī sucindharā|| Indagopakasañchannā te selā ramayanti man' ti.|| || ---- 13 Crags with tho hue of heaven's blue clouds, Where lies enbosomed many a shining tarn Of crystal-clear, cool waters, and whose slopes The 'herds of Indra'2 cover and bedeck: Those are the hills in which my self delights. ---- 1 As if the legend strove to link him closer to nature, the only two of his former lives mentioned in detail represent him as a tortoise or turtle, and as a dove. The stanza recurs, with others in a similar vein, in Kassapa's poem (CCXLIV.). Again, as with the two Punna-m¡lsa sayings(gatha), the Commentator takes no heed of the identity of name, nor of the substantial identity in story and verse. The verse is incorporated in the long poem (CCLXI.). 2 Indagopaka-sañchannā 'covered by Indra's cowherds.' According to the Commentary (cf. Childers, 'a crimson beetle noticeable after rain'), these are coral-red insects (kimi), referred to in connection with recent rain, but said by some to be a red grass, or by others the kaṇikāra trees (Pterospermum acerifolium). To come into a highland or upland picture, these crimson insects must swarm in vast numbers. The cows of Indra - i.e., the clouds - would have filled the background far more easily. The Russians, however, Sir Charles Eliot informs me, call lady-birds 'God's little cows' (bozhya korovika); and on upper Alpine pastures in the late summer I have seen crimson (? Burnet) moths crowded on the heath. On the colour; cf. Vin., iii. 42. ---- 1.2-313 Commentary on the stanza of =Vanavaccha Thera= The stanza starting with Nilabbhavaṇṇā constitutes that of the venerale Thera Vanavaccha. What is the origin? It is said that he was reborn in the womb of a tortoise at the time of the Glorius One Atthadassī, and lived in the river named Vīnata. He had his body of the size of a small boat. It is said that, that tortoise one day saw the Blessed One standing on the shore of the river, and saying to itself: “Methinks the Glorius One is desirous of going to the opposite shore,” lay itself down at His feet as it was desirous of carrying him on its back and leading Him there. The Blessed One after having come to know it’s intention mounted it out of compassion for it. The tortoise became full of zest and delight cut across the stream and sent Him across to the opposite bank there and then resembling an arrow shot by the speed of bow-string (jiyā). The Blessed One prophesied the fruition of that act of merit at that present moment as well as the prosperity that would spring up (later) and took His departure. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings, renounced the world and became an ascetic for many a hundred times and became but a forest dweller. Again at the time of Buddha Kassapa, he was reborn in the womb of a pigeon and seeing a bhikkhu(monk) dweling in the forest living with loving knidness it made its mind pleasigly pious. On having passed away thence, however, he was reborn in the house of a certain family in Benares and on having come of age, he became remorse-stricken, remounced the world and accumulated much meritorius deeds, conducive towards escape from rounds of repeated rebirths (vaṭṭa). Having in this manner wandered about his rounds of repeated reabirths in this and that existence among divine and human beings, he took his conception in the house of a brahmin, named Vacchagotta in the city of Kapilavatthu, when this Buddha arose. His mother who became all-round mature in her pregnancy suffered from a strong desire to see the forest, entered the wood and wandered about there. There and then, there arose to her pain of child-birth (kammajavāta); they provided her with a curtain (tirekaraṇī) all-round. She gave birth to a son with signs of future good fortune and merit (dhaññapuññalakkhaṇa). He vecame a play-mate sporting with soft sand (paṃsukīḷana) together with the Bodhisatta. His mane also was “Vaccha.” Because of his special delight in the forest he was known as Vanavaccha. Subsequently when the Great Being renounced the great renunciation and was making strenuous effort (mahāpadhāna) he also renounced the world saying to himself:– “I also will live in the forest together with prince Siddhattha, and having become a hermit, he lived in the forest, heard about the fact of the prince having bvecome a specially self-awakened Buddha, went to the presence of the Blessed One, became a monk, took up the mental exercise (kammaṭṭāna), lived on in the forest, indulged in the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā) and visualised Arahantship, but before long. Therefore, it has been stated in the Apadāna:– “The Blessed One Atthadassī, the self- made leader of the world, the Tathāgata approached the shore of the river Vinata. I, the tortoise, whose pasture is in water specially went out of water and approached the leader of the world as I was desirous of sending Buddha across (the river). Let the great sage Buddha Atthadassī ride on me I shall send you across; you who are maker of the end of misery (dukkha). Since He knew my intention, the greatly famous Atthadassī mounted my back and the leader of the world stood on it. As far as I remember myself, since I attained the age of intelligence, there had been happiness for me, as when I was touched by His foot-sole. The Self-awakened Buddha Atthadassī of great fame, after having crossed over, stood on the shore of the river and uttered these stanzas:– ‘As and when it happened to my mind that I would cross the flowing river, this king of tortoise, possessor of wisdom sent my across’ On account of this sending Buddha across and the dutiful heart of loving kindness, the tortoise will enjoy itself in the divine world for eighteen hundred aeons (kappa). Having come here from the divine world, because of being provoked by bright basis (sukkamūla) he would sit himself down on a single seat and cross over the stream of uncertainty (kaṇkhāsotaṃ). Just as also in a fertile field, in spite of but few seeds having been sown, when the right quantity of rain-shower supply it water, the harvest of crop does satisfy the cultivator, exactly in the same way, this fertile field of Buddha, taught by the self-awakened excellent Buddha, when proper shower of rain supply me water, the fruition will satisfy me. I am one whose mind is directed towards strenuous effort, calmed and controlled (nirupadhi); having all-round understood all cankers (āsava) I live without any canker (āsava). Since I did that deed then, I do not remember any adversity for eighteen hundred aeons (kappa); this is the fruition result of sending across. My depravity (kilesa) had been burnt … Buddha’s instruction (sāsana) had been carried out. Having, however, attained Arahantship, when the Blessed One was dwelling at Kapilavatthu, he went there, paid his homage to the Master, and when asked by bhikkhus(monks) who had come together, by way of conversation thus: “Friend! How did you gain comfortable life in the forest?” He replied thus:– “Friends! The hills in the forest are delightful” and he uttered a stanza starting with “Nīlabbhavaṇṇā” praising the hill where he himself had lived. 13. There, the expression: nīlabbavaṇṇā means resembling the blue sky, having the nature of the blue sky, Rucira means: brillient with effulgence and resplendent. Sītavārī means cool water. Sucindharā means because of the clean and pure condition of protion of ground, it is a clean site for those who are pure-minded or for the residential resort of nobles (ariya). Indeed, for the sake of poetic ease the exegesis is executed after making the word to be together with its own corresponding nasal. There is also such a reading as “Sītavārisucindharā;” it possesses the suply of cool clean water and cool pure water; thus, is the meaning. The expression: indagopakasañ-channā is to be construed thus:– It is said in this manner by way of rain-showering time being well-covered with red insects of the colour of coral, known as indagopaka. Some, however, say thus: “Indagopakanāmāni, red reeds known as “indagopaka.” Others say thus:– “kaṇikārarukkhā (kaṇikāra trees of yellow flowers”). Selā means hills of heaped-up earth; thus, is the meaning. That is why Buddha said: “Yathā pi pabbato selo (just as a hill of stone also”). Ramayanti maṃ is to be construed as:– they bemused me; they strengthened by special delight in solitude. In this way, the Thera in making known his own special delight in seclusion which had all-round been developed for a long time, brought to light but three forms of special delight in seclusion. There, by means of seclusion of substrata of existence (upadhiviveka) the manifestation of his Arahantship (aññā) has but been brought to light. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Vanavaccha is complete. **********oOo********* ----